Show Reviews

A great solid tour opener that sent a clear message that this summer's tour is going to feature the Fuego songs. And in the first set particularly, they really shined and entered into a new phase of 3.0. If CK5 is the 5th member of the band, then the audience is the 6th member because, after Stealing Time started the tour off with some high energy, the excitement was both heard and felt with the fan reaction when the opening notes of Fuego began. Their was a clear, noticeable buzz in the crowd. What was originally a decidedly mixed reaction on 10/31 has been turned into genuine, palpable joy to hear the new music played - a testament to the band sounding practiced and speaking so enthusiastically about their love of the new tunes. The band used set I to showcase the new songs, interweaving them between concert classics, with 555 particularly sounding like it has been in the rotation for years, before ending the set with a masterful jam that changed this reviewer's whole view on the song Wingsuit, which had a must- hear jam to close set I. A distinct new school set that resulted in a strong hour+ of music.

Set II was a monster. It began with relatively short Mike's > Simple > Free, all of which were well played with the jam into free being particularly poetic. Waiting All Night was placed in an interesting spot, initially feeling like a very early set breather...but as the song built - it became clear that they were building to something bigger. Indeed they were with an outstanding segue from ghost into a thunderous weekapaug that left all the noobs salivating.

But the real story of this show was Harry Hood, a funky jazzy exploratory version that blew me away and a must hear. It amazes me that - after following this band for so long, they still manage to surprise me by jamming out a song when least expected...at the very end of a show. It reminds you that whether it's old school or new school- an amazing jam can come anytime and anyplace - and that's exactly what I love about this band.

A very fine start to the Summer tour. The first set is quite well-constructed, with the Fuego tunes well interspersed between the more time-tested tunes, and Wingsuit in particular impressed with some impassioned Trey soloing at the end. Stash, as it often is these days, was the first-set highlight, and a chance for the band to stretch a little bit, thanks to Page (as he did in 7/14/13) sliding into a major key for a brief but welcome climb into the clouds. The second set kicks off with a standard but high-energy Mike's/Simple combination, reaches a first peak with a 12/31/10-esque bliss-jam Ghost that Fish neatly leads into Weekapaug (it's an even more charming segue than the 12/30/13 version, as Fish organically starts up the Weekapaug beat out of the jam), and hits a second peak with the second monster Type II Hood in 2 years.

In fact, let's give that Hood its own paragraph - Hood immediately finds a minor/major key tension right out the gate, as instead of the usual delicate Hood soloing Trey alternates between more forceful solos and non-standard chords while Page does some fine piano work. The band then moves into a major-key space (reminiscent of the pre-woo 7/31/13 Tweezer jam segment), then Page moves over to the organ and Trey starts plucking out some hazy notes as Mike pushes forward more in the mix. Trey then hits on a really neat lick and things start building towards a very nice climax, Fish picking up the pace, then out of nowhere Page moves to the B-3 and we get a brief funky segment instead, *then* they begin to build towards another climax...and then Page returns to Hood's usual key and we return to Hood's usual zone for Ye Olde Hood Finale. All in all, it's another remarkable breaking of Hood's form, with every new idea moved into with grace and ease, and (one hopes!) a portent of 2014.

Final thoughts: tour openers don't have a particularly high bar to leap, and this show hopped right over it with room to spare. You can feel good, etc., etc.

As expected, the first set brought us a Fuego-heavy selection. I think the interesting question will be how soon some of these songs will be repeated at SPAC. I would not be surprised if some of them show up again Friday.

The opener (that song we all want to guess) was “Stealing Time from the Faulty Plan.” I have to admit — I do not care for this song. As sacrilegious as it might sound, I usually do not like Trey “wailing” high bluesy licks on his guitar (I was delighted to get some credence for such a view with @jbolognino’s statement on the recent @hfpod “I don’t like guitars”). This song’s first lick announces that Trey’s “wail” will be the flavor of the song, and that is what you get. That said, it’s high energy and a fine opener for that reason.

Next up was “Fuego”. Immediately, the interwebs interjected to say, “Wait, where’s my set 2/first quarter placement, brah?” For reasons unknown, most people have assumed that Fuego will be the next “big” type ii jam vehicle for 2014 Phish. This is despite the fact that the first two versions on the 31st of October and December did not contain exploratory jams. In my view, this song feels like it will be a “Pebbles & Marbles” or “Walls of the Cave” that is long and has some different composed sections — but usually stays in its structure jam wise (2.0 had some exceptional “Walls” though). The main reason that Fuego does not foretell exploratory jamming is that it actually has two jams that precede composed sections. Most “type ii” vehicles will go into a jam section that needn’t finish (think “Light” or “Ghost”). The first section in “Fuego” certainly precedes a lot of composed vocal material (“Diego!!”), but the second jam section which is just over the main chord vamp of the song also precedes a relatively intricate (and delightful) piano-based outro to the song. The jam has to resolve to that outro. Now, maybe “Fuego” will become the next DWD and “unfinished” will be the norm, but we should not expect this at this point. ANYWAY, this version was really well played and included the “viking warrior” lyrics that showed up on the record — and Trey even quoted the melody of said lyrics right into the “second” jam (not that second jam) of Fuego. Trey’s solo on the second jam was really spacious and melodic.

Next up was a “Back on the Train” that can only be described as tasteful. A couple things off that bat (1) It was up tempo (as were several songs throughout the night) (2) It started with the full band rather than Trey simply playing that first F9 chord alone and the band coming in behind him. I wonder if Fish told Trey he was getting tired of the slow tempoed “BOTT” and asked if he could establish the tempo himself. Whatever the reason, this version sounded fresh. The jam did not contain the normal blues build, but was almost jazzy with Trey playing a lot of ‘octave’ style chordal phrasing with odd rhythmic flavors. The song ended with Trey playing that F9 chord in a menacing fashion (very different than the normal rhythm) that drove the song into a climatic ending. I loved this version (and I usually am “meh” about this song).

“Halfway to the Moon” is the odd song on Fuego. Debuted in 2010 (!) it is the only song that wasn’t debuted in the “Wingsuit” set on 10/31. In any case, it is always nice to get a Page song on a Phish record and this one is great. It features this eerie sounding jam that is open and spacious.

“The Wedge” is a good old Phish song. Not much else to say.

“555" is a funky little number that sounds like a lot of Mike’s funky little numbers written with Scott Murawski. It features a wah-inflected Trey solo. It sounds like it could go type ii some day, but for some reason Mike’s songs (even his song) usually aren’t the big jam vehicles these days. Anyway, it’s a fun set 1 song.

“Stash” was the undisputed highlight of the set. The jam was not overly long, but developed a stunning transition into major-key territory (like MPP’s version last year). Very quickly, Trey repeated beautifully hypnotic lines and Page absolutely went off on the baby grand. The result: a melodic mush of piano and guitar. At one point, Trey just plays and sustains one note over and over, and the crowd erupted in glee: Phish had already found “the hose” mid first set, first show of tour. This was not only “bliss” Phish, but had this hypnotic or eerie flavor to it as well. The jam seamlessly transitioned back to the D minor Stash ending.

“Bouncing Around the Room” is a classic Phish song. Don’t hate it.

I much prefer a (non jammed out) “Birds of a Feather” in the first set than the second (as someone who witnessed 7/25/99 I always feel like Birds is best allowed to fly into type ii territory). This was well-placed. In a set that hadn’t featured much Trey peak guitar work, this actually was a nice release of energy.

Boy, Bob Ezrin’s produciton work on Fuego might just be summed up in one song: the transformed “Wingsuit”. The Pink Floyd-esque soaring (I mean soaring!) solo that emerges out of the end is simply breathtaking. Even though the song “closed” the record, I was first surprised to see it in the “set closer” spot at a live show. But, it actually makes sense because of that solo. Wow.

Set 2 — Well, when the opening riff of “Mike’s Song” erupted, everyone in Mansfield and on the internet held their collective breath for the “second jam” that now at least Fish and Trey are aware the fanbase is clamoring for (my favorite line was when @heyscottyb asked @drewphish to, “hold me”). OK, so the “second jam” did not happen (in my view, once they play the 3rd of 4 DEF#m power chords, it signals the song will go into the chromatic ending — mid-90s second jams were preceded by only 2 rounds of the power chords). What was lost in the disappointment, was that the “first” Mike’s jam was really quite nice. Out of the gate, Trey establishes some funky rhythm chords, and the subsequent solo was very patient and even veered the jam off ‘normal’ territory for a couple ephemeral moments. What, I wonder, would people say if this “first jam” went into type ii territory and didn’t “finish” Mike’s proper. Would that satisfy folks? Or, do people really need those power chords and the key change to “F” to be satisfied? What I would like is to see “Mike’s” return as an exploratory jam vehicle in any form. As Fishman seemed to hint, counting the jams doesn’t matter much to the band.

When the opening riff of “Simple” rang out, people thought they were being “trolled”. But, as @heyscottyb pointed out, this was the 50th time (!) “Simple” has followed “Mike’s Song.” No surprise, and probably no attempt to “troll.” This “Simple” featured a cool “Magilla” tease from Page, and the normal gorgeous solo over alternating Bb and F chords — the way Mike drives this jam is under-appreciated. His bass work is so melodious. Near the end, it came ever-so close to launching into one of those type ii legendary “Simples” (in 3.0, see 8/6/10, 1/1/11 and 6/23/12), but, alas, it was not to be.

“Free”, like BDTNL, is a “ripchord” song. When its not oddly opening a show, it usually comes in a second set. And, it usually comes out of an ambient, abstract soundscape that sounds “close” to going into a type ii direction. For this reason, I usually greet this song with disdain. It’s a great song, with a cool bass solo. But, I’m over it (unlike 95 versions it is virtually identical every time out).

After “Free” the band took a long break to converse. Something you don’t see often in the middle of a supposed “Mike’s Groove.” The break was probably to set up “Waiting All Night.” I hope some day this song will emerge out of a jam with a true “segue” (I think “Wingsuit” could do this too). But, for now, it’s a really nice song and was nicely placed in this set.

“Ghost” came next. Talk about perfect placement. After the type i “Mike’s Song” and the aborted “Simple” jaded vets like myself were probably starting to wonder if any exploratory jamming would happen this set. The best was yet to come. This “Ghost” is top notch. It not only features ethereal and hypnotic jamming over the Am chord in the first part of the jam, but the “peak” over the D major chord was stunning and gorgeous hose music. Some remarked that it was similar to the “Holy Ghost” from 12/31/10. In truth, it is quite normal for Ghost jams to transition into that D major ‘bliss’ territory (for another example check out Asheville 09). But, not every version, locks into the type of peak and celebratory phrasing — 12/31/10 and 7/1/14 stand above on that front. My only complaint with this jam is that perhaps they did not hang out long enough in this gorgeous “peak” — overall the song was under 10 minutes. Quickly, Fishman picked up the tempo and the band seamlessly transitioned into “Weekapaug Groove” (anticipating the D major bliss section, I wondered if this segue would happen before since ‘Paug is in D as well).

This was a standard awesome “Weekapaug” featuring the soaring melodic solos from Trey, some breakdown “funk” sections (the second of which had Fishman go off the hook over an echoplex chord vamp), and back to the soaring solo to end it.

“Harry Hood” came in is normal end-of-Set-2 placement, but this version was far from ‘normal’. First of all, Fishman played the intro on his high hat (rather than his resonant toms). What is up with that? Anyway, we as Phish fans tend to “fetishize” the type ii versions of songs that normally stay within a particular structure. Hood almost always sticks to its DAG chord progression and Dmajor bliss-peak. As @waxbanks just reviewed, it seldom goes “type ii” — with the “Hollywood Hood” being the latest example. But, just because a song goes type ii when it shouldn’t does not mean it is a good version. For that, the jam actually has to go somewhere interesting. I personally think that the Hollywood Hood was overrated and I didn’t particularly care for the jam itself — it covered some cliche blues-rock vamps and awkwardly led back into the Hood peak. Now, this Hood. That’s a different story. Right out of the gate, Trey played this menacing lick (it sounds like the chirping of some insect) that often signals he wants to do something different to a jam (see, 8/28/12 Limb for another example). He then let out a whale call, before playing some rich melodic lines that were not in that D major structure we might expect. The jam morphed into the vast wide open terrain with Trey playing some subtle chords and arpeggios. Again, the overall feel of this jam is hypnotic with Trey often repeating lines that lead to rich textures provided by Page and Mike underneath. Once the hypnotic texture is established Trey will slightly morph the melody and layer other lines upon each other with his assorted pedals. As the jam got thicker, Trey had several lines looping at once. After this loopy section, he started playing rhythm chords again — signaling a groove-orientation not common to Hood jams. As the jam, got more rhythmic, Page and Mike layer the groove perfectly. Then, as Trey starts playing melodies again you think Hood is about to return, but once again, he starts looping and repeating these hypnotic lines and Page is playing some sick clavinet over a groove that refuses to die. Finally, the jam found its way back to those DAG chords and Trey offered a melodic peak that every Hood deserves (no machine gun ‘94 like Hood peak, but nice nonetheless). The amount of musical territory and communication between the band members in this version of Hood was truly remarkable. I think it easily can be called the best Hood of 3.0 (better than 12/28/10 and 8/5/13). And, this was only the first night of tour.

“Cavern” and “Julius” were appropriate high energy rockers to end the night and Phish met the 11pm curfew. Overall, I feel like the jams — whether the Stash, end of Simple, or the Hood — featured what I would call “hypnotic bliss”. This is not just melodic, “pretty” jamming that we love from the band, but also featured eerie sound-textures and repetitive looping of melodic ideas. The highlight was Hood and to be honest it sounds like the band is still breaking new improvisational ground. This foreshadows a good summer ahead!

I figure a quick recap always helps. Some random notes from last night...

It was the tour opener through and through. A lot of times that means "warmup" or otherwise insignificant. I don't think the band would agree.

From the 3.0 heavy first set including a rocking stash I think the band showed us the default template. They love their new songs but they embrace their old as well.

I wasn't there and someone else can do a bang up job going song by song. It just needs to be said over and over, it is not common to hear a smooth as glass transition like we saw from ghost >weekapaug. That hood must have perked up the ears of phishland. That hood man. That's gonna get some play for me. Yes, I've heard Hollyhood. In fact, I love it. Last nights was better.

Yeah, it was a tour opener. If this is the beginning, well the sky is the limit for 2014 phish.

This was my 18th Show and this is my first review. This show totally impressed me. I have not been to a tour opener before and expected the typical, "Yeahhhh, phish is back on tour" mentality not the, "Holy Shit that Hood" kind of a show, but luckily we received the latter.

Stealing time was welcome, but very typical. Then they brought in Fuego and the show was extremely tight and innovative from that point on(except for the standard boucin'). Back on the train had a bit more jump to it and is always a treat in this phans mind. 555 is one of my favorite tracks on the new album and they totally crushed it live. Jam was on point and clearly points to how much of a monster this song can be(will be). Stashes in the recent past have been a bit dissapointing and it was great to hear and tighter more focused version with a nice open jam. BOAF was on fire, and wingsuit closed extraordinariliy well.

Mike's started the second set strong, and I then received my first simple. This is when I realized just how on this band was. It's like they never took a break since fall tour/nye run. Free was free, and waiting all night sounded good. Then came the ghost....Another first for me, and the show from that point on was perfect phish. The Ghost Jam was so tight, and the Weekapaug was extrememly original in the terms of phish and deserves recognition. We all know the Hood was outstanding, I'm not gonna say more than just listen to it. The cavern was standard fare and the julius was well above average. Good Summer tour awaits.

Let us not underestimate the absolute fucking ROCKING Julius closer.....yeah, I know, it doesn't pique the interest of the typical hard core fan, and the newbies were looking around like "what the fuck is this?", but by the end, the entire upper section was in rapture, slamming and skanking to the high powered shuffle, the band driving the bus right up the mountain at breakneck speed. They were obviously enjoying myself.
What I found great was that the audience was handling the call and response for the chorus. I personally love this song, even though it was a sign of a shift in the times way back in '93.
And, to echo the sentiments above, Harry Hood was top-notch. Exploratory, effortless, seamless, and soaring. Also, the Wedge was tight, PERFECTLY placed, Stash was a smash, BATR was surprisingly beautiful, and BOAF and Wingsuit were both awesome, concluding a sweet precursor to a MONSTER second set. The only thing missing was a shocking Col. Forbin or Fluffhead or Tela or Mound or something WAY out of the ordinary, but alas, we can't have it all. Be well Phriends, and have a great tour.

This show, looked at in retrospect, was pretty average. In fact, without the boost of new songs and an epic, other-worldly Hood in the 4th quarter, it would be markedly below-average.

It's been surmised here that this opener was superior to other tour openers of recent times, but I heartily disagree with this sentiment. Worcester '12 proved to be one the best shows of the first leg of the tour that year, and Bangor '13, while suffering from some flow issues in the 2nd set, still boasted an excellent Antelope and nice Hood encore, as well as an opening jam (Golden Age) which garnered some discussion for its humble place among the year's top jams. Also, the first set in Bangor was extremely well-played and tight and was one of the best first frames of the year.

This show in Mansfield starts off with great energy, and right out of the gate hits for extra bases with the rockin' Stealing Time to open. Fuego fed off the pent-up anticipation and energy of the crowd, and while this version didn't reach the exploratory heights of its brethren at other venues, this one had the novelty of being new and fresh, well-played and really rocked. Back on the Train followed and Trey added some unique and interesting interpretations in this version that make it well worth checking out for fans of the tune.

After this, however, the set really bogged down badly. Halfway was a tentative, halting version; surprising since it has had the most play of any of the new material and yet it was as if they were playing it for the first time. The Wedge was okay. The band waited patiently while Fish got his timing together and then jumped in with both feet and thus ended anything interesting about this version.

The next handful of songs were marred by sloppy playing, timing mistakes (on the part of everyone) and general indecision. There seemed to be an interminable amount of time between songs as though they were genuinely surprised to find themselves before a live audience and kept forgetting that this wansn't a sound check. In fact, the whole first set, with the exception of the first few numbers, felt like a sound check.

The 2nd frame opened promisingly with a well-played and well-received Mike's. Some interesting interplay from Mike and Trey here with Trey foreshadowing the tour norm, playing with the Echoplex, giving this type 1 Mike's a pseudo type 2 feel. Simple followed and is an interesting version. Some near me had complained but I liked the Free that followed. It fit the vibe, was played with passion and worked. Waiting All Night was an odd choice for a cool down song, but I suppose its an odd song and will always feel that way no matter where they play it. The vocalization by the band in this number is hauntingly beautiful. I love the songs, such as Bouncing, If I Could, etc. in which the band shows off this talent of theirs for which they are greatly underrated.

Ghost starts next, and while atrociously botched to start off, it morphs into a nice, compact little workshop which eventually segues beautifully into Weekapaug, reminiscient of 12/30/13, with less intensity yet more fluidness.

This show at this point is smack in the average-Phish-is-always-awesome-but-better-luck-next-time category when HOOD HAPPENED.

It is difficult to describe the feeling which swept through the crowd as Hood went type 2, and the most exciting thing was you could feel it coming during the composed section of the song. As soon as Mike played with his forwarder, you could sense the boys felt dangerous and wanted to play. This could already be my favorite Hood of all time. I've heard it over 30 times by now and am more impressed with it each time I hear it. This Hood is a masterpiece of Phish at their best. Tone, tenor, timing, voice, it's all there in technicolor. The fact that it reared its head late in the 4th quarter of a show that felt truly like a "warm up" effort was all the more remarkable.

Cavern and the Julius encore were perfunctory cappers which put a nice explanation point on things. But make no mistake; this Hood is the goods and the show is worth the download if you get nothing else from it.

As always with Mansfield, I was dreaming of something crazy to happen. Under the steel canopy of Great Woods, there is history rich in minerals- and rich in firth. Gamehendge has gone down here in the epic Gamehendge/Hoist show. I've seen Fish kill a Cracklin' Rosie and had my mind melted by the band on numerous occasions in this venue, where the energy is always high and hairy as a two-toned multibeast. This show did not disappoint... More specifically, the second set did not disappoint.

The song choices for the first set were pretty safe and I wasn't blown away by them, but I was impressed with how tight they sounded. I've been going to shows for 20 years and feel like they've had their ups and downs but I think they are better now than ever before.

Set I:

Stealing Time: I'm not going to lie when I hear Trey say "I got a Cliff bar and some cold green tea," I feel like I'm watching the biggest nerds in history and question whether he has an REI logo tramp stamp tattoo. I'm sure the folks at the Phellowship table appreciate his responsible snack time choices, but let's be honest that opening line would be more crowd appropriate if he said, "I got magic mushrooms and some stinky green trees."

Fuego: It was awesome to see the crowd get loud when the song started. You could see the smile on the faces of the band, they looked excited that the crowd was excited and singing along and it added to the energy.

Back on the Train: Pretty standard fare.

Halfway to the Moon: Cool Page tune. Mellowed everyone out.

The Wedge: I feel like this was their opportunity to pull out something rare or unique and we got The Wedge, which is cool but I'm a dreamer and was hoping for a little weirdness to ensue at this point.

555: It was apparent at this point that they are going Full Fuego this tour.

Stash: Finally an opportunity to get weird and they did. Great jam section, really picked up the energy and took us all for a ride.

Bouncing: How is this song in rotation ever? It's corny, sorry for the hate but it's not cool in any way, it's like them shaming us for liking them.

Birds: Got the crowd going again after clearing my section out with Bouncing.

Wingsuit: When this song started I'll admit I was a little annoyed at another new song. I really love the classics and expect set closers to give me that old time psychedelia I signed up for back in the 90's. The jam at the end was really killer though so I ended up coming around but I mean four Fuego songs in the first set? Was this a marketing decision? Do they have a PR team? Is someone doing Mike's hair and wardrobe? Thank Icculus Trey tore it up to close, at least he really tried anyway and I'll give him credit for that. When Mike pulled out the drill at the end I was like OH SHIT and thought it was about to get crazy- but no.

At the set-break I went an bought one of those collector coins which I got made fun of for later for spending $20 on, but I think they are awesome. It's cooler than a Ticketmaster print out ticket-stub.

Set II:

Mike's: Hell yes. I thought, "yay finally we're going on a little adventure." The little lyric flub at the beginning was cool, I like seeing the band laugh at themselves.

Simple: I knew there was no way this was going >H20 with the energy from the crowd. Mike's>Simple, an old school late 90's staple, was cool by me and the jam section was killer. I love when they find that awesome soft sound where you look around and see everyone mesmerized with a summer breeze passing through the air...

Free: Trey transitioned the quiet Simple jam into Free seamlessly, the crowd was really feeling it at this point. Great tune. I was assuming they'd go right into Weekapaug but they didn't.

The band stopped and talked for a few minutes, kind of killed the buzz. Maybe they're arthritis was acting up or Trey was out of breath, I don't know. In all fairness the temperature was rather high for people their age.

Waiting All Night: The 5th Fuego song. It's a cool song, I guess (kind of a downer lyric wise). I thought they missed an opportunity to keep the >>> going. I hope they don't force 5 Fuegos a night on people all tour...

Ghost: The band came back from they're Fuego commercial break with la fuerza! The jam section on this song was incredible, and the band built it into a frenzy that paid off when it segued into Weekapaug, the loudest the crowd got all night during a jam-

Weekapaug: With such an amazing transition into this song and the highest energy of the night, I'd say that Ghost>Weekapaug was the show highlight. I was def sharing in the groove.

Hood: Such a good Hood. This Hood was so good. Everyone is talking about this Hood. Have you heard this Hood? Check it out it was great. Still think the Ghost>Weekapaug was the killer jam of the night tho.

What a show! Was listening from the comfort of my own home, but could tell the energy was high!

First set was a bit above average I'd say. The stash will probably be one o the more over looked jams of the year. It was smoking. Absolutely smoking. Hope it gets second set type 2 soon enough. Wingsuit was gorgeous, and showed awesome type 2 potential.

Set two was definitely above average. Earlier in the day when I wrote my setlist prediction, I wrote down Mikes>Simple>Waiting All Night>Weekapaug. Couldn't believe I was so close! Simple>Free was an excellent segue. Even more so was Ghost->Weekapaug.(The second In the last 5 shows, and possibly smoother than 12/30).

The Hood has already been discussed by others and yes it was killer. 18 minutes of nice dark jamming(I love dark phish) before a nice return to the Good about Hood ending. (Note: this was also the 3rd Hood,Cavern in 5 shows)
Julius encore was rocking(of course).
See you tomorrow!

my second ever phish show and i thought i was a very solid tour opener. mike dropping those long notes, the ghost>weekapaug, harry hood. i also didn't expect stealing time for an opener but i do like it as an opener. after the show off to spac it was for even better shows

the Great Woods Hood. 18 minutes.... The band is so fresh, they're hitting the grooves like a symphony. 4 guys, no 5th or 6th musician to add counterpoint or orchestration, or to further open the rhythm... and still, they do their best to make each member of the band play an entire symphony-section's worth of music in each their line. Large groups make the music sound upright. Mistakes are felt less, each member of each section supporting one another.... Symphonies do better, but Phish are only 4 guys, representing a symphonic rock and troll approach. (Although the new material is usually more from a place of sincerity that is consistent with their development as human beings.... rock and troll).

[It's ] Early [in the] tour, the band ---- they really feeling it. They always top themselves with Stash and Hood at Great Woods. I swear, you will never find a bad version of either of those tunes at that venue. You've got to wonder what the story behind that is.

[a few minutes into the jam] Trey connects to this familiar chord progression in the midst of the jam; feels familiar, a minor pentatonic triad of chords, hitting once major and back..... He doesn't just abandon that theme relatively quickly, he then moves into this solo that builds on what came before. A few minutes later, he's toying with a simplified calypso sound that lightens the air and invites Page's piano work into equation, and a one on one with Trey and Page ensues while Fish and Mike support perceptively. Then, we get Trey playing this riff that could have come from the Tower Jam; ascending notes in alien form... moving into plinko, but plinko 2.0 for sure. Far more textured, and has an added eloquence compared to the former approach. They're able to take this plinko space a long dinstance without losing interest or momentum..... Then into arpeggios, and this half-calypso, half-funk pattern, giving room for Page to test the electronic sounds. It's growing more rhythmic, so Fish hits the toms, and Mike drops into this moody riff.... Mike starts pumping the groove into the aural tube, and the band goes straight alien until Trey starts to play these riffs that are associated with former eras of pure rage.... he kinda coasts in this fashion, takes pause, comes back in and Fish goes double-time! It's Page's groove now, as though moving towards Charlie Brown Vince Guaraldi territory. A quick modification back into the tonic key, and a lightning bridge is built right back into Hood. [I'm] listening to this one in 24 bit. Silky. The band is playing the shit out of this Hood peak, completely authentic to the moment. Complete unity. Trey flubs the entrance into the closing stanza ([but] not nearly as badly as Great Woods '09's Hood, one that's also worth a revisit). They close, as usual, on the sounds of triumph.

Worst show i've ever been to but ONLY because they literally forgot to turn on the lawn speakers in the section i was in. It was the equivilant of being in your car and having the volume like a third of the way up.

The funnest part was goofin around in the parking lot for 2.5 hours after

It was a fun time, but nothing i could consider a "show"

Never thought i would be let down by Phish. Every other time i've seen em was awesome

What a great opener! I loved the 2013 summer kickoff in Maine (fun and bouncy set 1) but this tour opener was special with the Wingsuit themed set 1, Fuego and 555 were tight. Set 2 Hood brain melter? Yes please! U guys also notice that really nice short, but funky Cavern? So excited for SPAC run tonite!

Some people don't like reviews that don't focus exclusively on the music. I happen to love reviews like these and I feel like I understand more about the Dead from having read a ton of reviews on Archive.org that talk about crowd, vibes, weather etc. This summer, I'm going to try to review nearly every show and try to give a context to these bad boys. Anyway:

This was the first show I went to by myself. Every other show I've attended has been with my (now) wife. I had always been curious about what it's like to go solo. I'd say that it's just a lot more mellow. It was a pleasant experience, but much more relaxing than going with someone else. I saw two great dancers in row 1 somewhere around section 16. One woman had long red dreads and her friend had straight brown hair. The two ladies had constant energy throughout the songs and appeared to synchronize well with each other and with the music.

The first set had an overall mellow feel to it. It felt very 'contemporary.' Much more of a kind of quieter rock set than ragers or funky songs. There was a lot of talk between Trey and Page between songs. This always worries me. I get paranoid that they're arguing.

Wingsuit and Fuego where the highlights of the first set. Group vocals are on.

Mike's Song is where things started to pop off for me. This has been a favorite of my wife's, and I could feel her there with me. I haven't listened to the MP3's yet, but at some point Mike's bass was super loud and warm and I felt like it was giving me a brainscan. During Weekapaug Groove, I felt my brain being massaged and thought about how kids are doing X and Molly these days and this song kind of produces a similar feeling to that caused by EDM (I imagine). Hood had a very deep brainscan effect on me as well.

I don't quite remember Cavern. I'm not a huge fan of Julius...it didn't do much of me as the encore. Nothing wrong with the song choice or how they played it...it just isn't my thing. Lights went on, and the Great Woods old ladies told us all to leave.

A few notes: Security was really heavy for this show. For some reason, they had guys take their hats off and show them to staff as we walked through the gates. They really dug through my bag, too. The lot was fairly quiet. Sometimes, it feels like a near riot, but last night it was chill. I saw some girls getting taken away in golf carts by security. At first, I was like...'why are they sitting on their hands with their backs so straight...?' Kind of an undignified way to go out...in a golf cart...People were setting off heavy duty fireworks in the lot afterwards. Dug that. Weather was hot, but there was a good breeze. US was in World Cup (not that I'm a fan)...all in all a great Tuesday night. Writing this, I feel calm, relaxed...just had a great night off.

A couple of firsts for me last night: first tour opener and first time GAPIT, so right up front!! Smiles all night.

I can't say anything about the music that has not already been written. The Wedge/555/Stash was a killer run. Watched the first half from Page and Trey's side. Second half, over to Fish and Mike.

I love being on Mike's side, the bass is just too awesome. The band laid down some serious funk last night, something I never get enough of from these guys. I think the second set was great, start to finish. Free was nice and heavy (thanks again to Mike), and Ghost brought about more of the funk. I lost track of myself during Hood. Cavern was a strong closer last night. I've seen Julius as an encore a few times. Strong version, would have enjoyed something else, but nothing to complain about.

I just got done listening to the show on the LivePhish app (and it actually played the whole way through!), and wow, it was great! It sounds like the band is really listening well to each other, and finding their spots perfectly. And hearing these Fuego songs played live makes me very happy. It's a great album, and you can tell they are excited about playing the shit out of it, which makes me even happier.

The only thing I want to add to this thread is a question about the possibility of a Santana tease (Black Magic Woman) after the composed section of Hood. Did anybody else hear this or am I crazy?

A very nice start to the summer, folks! The boys came out swinging last night. Hardly any cobwebs to brush off, that's for sure!

Set I was about as good as it gets for Phish 3.0, with everything being played well. Although there were no segues, everything got some room to breathe. It was nice to see so many Wingsuit songs played early on--this stuff has definitely helped breathe new life into the Phish setlist rotation. That being said, Halfway to the Moon was an odd choice as the 4th song of the night, especially as a follow up to Fuego and Back on the Train, which seemed to indicate the set would continue gaining momentum. That was the only hiccup of the 1st set for me. Stash was the first true jam of the summer (as was the case last year in Bangor) but I have to say the jam segment at the end of Wingsuit was the set I highlight for me. I'm looking forward to seeing where this song goes...I have a feeling we may get an epic jam on this song later this summer.

Set II is the real story here, and it's worth listening to all the way through. They played a high-energy Mike's Song, which settled into a sinister rock groove that had EVERYONE dancing like there's no tomorrow. Despite Trey awkwardly transitioning into Simple--the only jarring moment of the set to my ears--this version is one worth listening to. It's ~9 minutes long and we get a short taste of type II jamming that brilliantly segues into Free, a song choice I dare say NOBODY was expecting. It seemed like they were ready to blast off when they chose to go with Waiting all Night in the cleanup spot--another odd choice which put the brakes on the momentum they'd been developing. Fortunately, it was a breather for them before the meat of the show occurred at the tail end of the set: I'll be listening to that Ghost>Weekapaug, Hood segment over & over! All three were wonderful versions, but that Hood was the highlight of the show in my opinion. Instead of going into the laid back beautiful soundscape that Trey so often favors on that song, they immediately move into a kind of psychedelic, ambient groove and do lots of playing around with dissonance and minor-key jamming, interspersed with funk and rock grooves that were infectious. Overall though, this Hood was very different from what most would expect. Certainly a version worth considering as a top-5 all time Hood, IMHO.

Cavern finished off the set, and we got a nice encore version of Julius, which is a great song to close out a show. All in all, a great way to kick of summer tour 2014!

I'd also like to note that this was a really great audience. No nitrous mobs and not too many folks who overdid it with other substances from what I saw. Everyone in my section was really into it and we were all dancing up a storm. So much fun!

This was my first show in Massachusetts and 55th overall. I was not let down by the "hometown" show or this being the tour opener. You never know what will open a tour and I honestly wouldn't have ever thought STFTFP would get that bump. I thought the song set the tone of some well played music throughout the show. From what I could tell the music and lyrics were all spot on and that is including Cavern. Vermont's finest were on their 'A Game'.

As mentioned in previous reviews the Fuego album is going to be showcased heavy this summer and that's the norm when albums are first released. No fault to the band for the promotion.

First set highlight was Stash, really good and worth a listen. I feel like BATR was played from the suggestion of the two HUGE red balloons bouncing around the pavilion. At one point during BOAF Page had to knock a "Happy 31st" balloon away from crashing one of is microphones. In all a fine set even with the four Fuego tracks.

Second set was treated with a Mike's opener always a delight to me and the majority of phans. Moved into Simple a fun crowd pleaser and then Free. I admit I didn't care for the pause during the groove to play Waiting All Night. I thought it took some of the life away from the jam.

That was brought back with fine meld from Ghost into Weekapaug. Then we were elevated with a monster of a Harry Hood. Super version which is a must listen. Set II was closed out with the uplifting Cavern before the Julius encore. Julius went past the curfew time of 11pm mainilly because of an excellent back and forth with Page and Trey.

Obviously, as my first Phish show, this show gets the obligatory 5 star review.

However, even looking past the idea that this show was my first show by such a phenomenally talented and magical collective of musicians which I was far too late to catch on to, this show was quite simply a great show.

The only long jam was the super psychedelic, textured, and ambient - yet intense - jam in Harry Hood, which in total clocked in at just short of 19 minutes and was pure bliss. Stash had a nice jam as well, although a bit more brief, and not as groundbreaking in the grand scheme of things. Wingsuit had a nice jam of sorts/outro solo, finished by Mike fiddling with the drill to close out set one. Wingsuit also contained what was to me the only noticeable mistake on the night. Somehow Trey got a bit lost or sidetracked earlier on in the song, and started singing a lyric, and then played a brief guitar lick/solo, and then went back into the "put your Wingsuit on" part of the chorus. Maybe that's just the arrangement of that tune (I'm honestly not as big on that tune as some of the other new ones so I can't remember) or maybe it was something entirely intentional but in the moment it seemed like he did mess up just a bit.

It was great to hear tunes like "Back on the Train" and "Birds of a Feather" (which I was particularly psyched to hear), "Bouncing Around the Room", "Stealing time from the Faulty Plan", and so on, executed so well in set one as well. It's almost like they knew it was my first Phish show so although they wanted to play a ton of the new stuff, which they played with authority, they also wanted to play some of the more commonly played tunes that happen to be fan favorites, and do so very well as opposed to phoning it in. Make no mistake. This set and this shot in general was not phoned in at all.

Then we have set 2. I only have recordings to go off of since this was my first show, but this set seemed to have an energy and intensity that I'd never heard in 3.0 to this point, especially for a tour opener. The Mike's Groove sandwich which contained Simple, Free, Waiting All Night, and Ghost in between both "loaves of bread" so to speak just may have surpassed the outstanding grilled cheese I had from the food truck that was on the concourse leading into the venue (best grilled cheese ever, by the way).

Anyway, even if Trey did slightly botch a small portion of "Wingsuit", and even if there were 5 songs off the new CD in total which does in retrospect seem like a lot, none of that really mattered. They were super tight, jamming in ways I'd never heard before in 3.0 on any of the recordings I have purchased or audience recordings I've downloaded (even if not all of the jams were long, they had a great intensity and fire in their playing), and it was just an all around wonderful experience.

So, Phish, it was a wonderful experience. See you at Randalls Island night two, and hopefully much more in the future/in years to come.

One and done show for me live this summer. Couch tour the rest of the run.

Expectations at a Phish show are no longer necessary. Granted, I've only been to nearly 10 shows and there's a lot of material (Crosseyed and Painless, Reba, Fluffhead, etc.) that I could hope to see at my next show.

I got a shit ton of repeat songs at this show (Faulty Plan and every 'Fuego album' the only exceptions) .... but this show kicked major ass.

They have yet another new feel to their sound and approach... Bravo boys!

S1 in an oversized nutshell was nothing unlike what the top posters have mentioned. I was surprised the open air pavilion seating wasn't more full... we had a lot of room! Every song well placed but nothing outside of the realm of high-end predictability.

S2 opening with Mike's Groove is always better than S1 IMHO. Despite fitting 4 masterful songs in between (all 4 were stellar), the REAL highlight of this show was undoubtedly Harry Hood.

I wanted a hose jam this show, and I got one. Harry Hood.. thank you. Thank you for making me realize what I like more about Phish now than everything else. I mentioned before about the repeats. And any show in years past I might've shrugged off shows that I didn't get as much new live substance. But what I love is that Phish has the innate ability as a group to bring something new to their songs no matter how many times they've been played.

Songs like Stash, BOAF, Mike's Groove, Ghost, Hood, etc. all allow me to consistently raise the celing on how much I enjoy hearing them played.

Glad to have shared this show with so many interesting and exciting phriends. Til next time ... Indeed!

A very strong outing for tour opener, this show has some nice highlights and a few surprises tucked away. The first lies in the heavy attendance of Fuego tunes, mostly in the first set (5 total, half the album!) that is a testament to Trey's honesty about loving the new material. Of those 5, Wingsuit is undoubtedly the heavyweight champion with a very spirited, gorgeous, Gilmour-esque solo to close the set. A nice (though brief) 555 jam, some major/minor tension in Stash, and a blazing fast Birds also make this set worth revisiting.

Set two opens with a high energy, funky Mike's Song that had everyone on the edge of their seat. As of late, speculation of the "second jam" returning has everyone waiting for THE 3.0 Mike's jam, but tonight was not the night. Instead we are treated to a nice Simple > Free that caused some confusion in the transition (Fish definitely wanted to play Hydrogen). This listener thought they were going to take Free all the way this time, but Trey wasn't having it.

After a painfully long period of "dead air", Waiting All Night is played, the fifth and last Fuego song of the night. It has a solid jam but I can't help but feel that this was an odd placement, especially with no segues in or out. Regardless, a nice spacey Ghost follows and features some melodic soloing and trilling reminiscent of the great 12/31/10 version, before Fish increases the tempo in a HUGE way, and we're in Weekapaug. The first real highlight of the night, this Paug is fuuuunky. Think Hartford Golden Age cowbell groove. Some classic out of control tension -> back to grooving. Really sweet version with a nice peak.

What most people are taking away from this show though is the Hood. The "Wood Hood." The intro here is particularly funky and the composed section is generally nailed. The jam is dark right out of the gate, but Page really plays some beautiful piano over the gloom. From couch tour lots of people felt this would transition into Light, but I'm glad it didn't. The groove is sublime. Really spacey with some funk thrown in. Trey plays a NASTY riff around 13:38 and the jam just accelerates from there to a huge, rocking groove that somehow resolves itself into the Hood ending. Outstanding jam, and in the last quarter to boot! Cavern closes the set well, and an awesome, jazzy Julius fills the encore slot.

Overall this is a rock solid show, and bodes well for the tour ahead. Catch Wingsuit, Ghost -> Weekapaug, and Hood if you have any doubt that this summer will be hot.

Honestly, I went into this show with very low expectations. Since late April I've been in a fog of crippling depression knowing there will probably never be another Phish show as good as jazz fest. Even still, because me and my entire crew are the best and loyalist of Phish fans, we each dropped $275 on stubhub for pit tickets.

So there we are front and center, wondering whether or not it would all be worth it...the time, the money, the loss of brain cells....for another tour opener. And then the lights went out. The energy was unlike anything I had ever felt, to the point where I felt tingly throughout my entire body and my stomach began to churn. It was almost indescribable. As Trey and gang walked on stage I locked eyes with him, and immediately I knew: I never should have eaten those fish tacos in the parking lot. What I thought was excitement for my favorite band turned out to be the early action of some hardcore food poisoning.

So anyways I give this show a 1 out of 5, and the only reason it gets a 1 and not a 0 is because I barely made it to the bathroom before I shit my pants. I spent the entire night in there.

EDIT: So sorry guys, I fixed the typo. I figured that's why it rapidly shot from +4 to -6, people noticing the typo upon a 2nd read. Not from a coordinated effort by nazi show review enthusiast idiot savants without a sense of humor, but because of the typo. I understand that reviewing drug band shows on a drug band message board is INCREDIBLY serious business, and I have learned my lesson. I'll kick it up a few notches. FTFY. Peace and love in these great times, as we all step to the line together.

Honestly, I went into this show with very low expectations. Since late April I've been in a fog of crippling depression knowing there will probably never be another Phish show as good as jazz fest. Even still, because me and my entire crew are the best and loyalist of Phish fans, we each dropped $275 on stubhub for pit tickets.

So there we are front and center, wondering whether or not it would all be worth it...the time, the money, the loss of brain cells....for another tour opener. And then the lights went out. The energy was unlike anything I had ever felt, to the point where I felt tingly throughout my entire body and my stomach began to churn. It was almost indescribable. As Trey and gang walked on stage I locked eyes with him, and immediately I knew: I never should have eaten that those fish tacos in the parking lot. What I thought was excitement for my favorite band turned out to be the early action of some hardcore food poisoning.

So anyways I give this show a 1 out of 5, and the only reason it gets a 1 and not a 0 is because I barely made it to the bathroom before I shit my pants. I spent the entire night in there.

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